Hang Up and Listen

From the Steelers' predictable collapse to the Commanders’ doink-fueled victory in Tampa, hosts Alex Kirshner, Ben Lindbergh, and Lindsay Gibbs get into the NFL’s Wild Card weekend. They also talk about college football and the looming Ohio State-Notre Dame championship. Plus the arrival of the all-new, indoor, digital Tomorrow’s Golf League.  On the bonus episode available exclusively for Slate Plus members, the hosts talk about the Cleveland Cavaliers’ historic winning pace. NFL Wild Cards (2:13): Washington squeaks by and Pittsburgh slumps out. CFB playoffs (23:19): Can Notre Dame topple Ohio State? TGL: (39:25): The new Tiger-backed indoor golf simulation league. (Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad-free.) Want more Hang Up and Listen? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page, or visit slate.com/hangupplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hosts Alex Kirshner, Ben Lindbergh, and Lindsay Gibbs talk about Premier League Soccer and how sputtering performances could leave Manchester City and Manchester United out of Champions League contention. The hosts also get into the college football playoffs and the coming NFL postseason. For Afterballs: Ben recounts a history of alternative settings for specialty ‘classic’ sports games. On the bonus episode available exclusively for Slate Plus members, the hosts discuss the high turnover rate of WNBA coaches, plus the messy math of a thirteen-team league. Manchester Soccer (2:45): Looking back in anger. CFB (22:32): A look at the semifinals with each top seed now eliminated. NFL: (39:20): The explosive regular season wrap-up. Afterballs (57:06): Ben on alt-settings and the Winter Classic. (Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad-free.) Want more Hang Up and Listen? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page, or visit slate.com/hangupplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hosts Alex Kirshner, Ben Lindbergh, and Lindsay Gibbs close out 2024 Hang Up and Listen-style. They dig into the War for Christmas being waged between the NFL and NBA. Then they look at Alex Ovechkin’s attempts to break Wayne Gretzky’s 894 goals record. Next they discuss the rise of the alt-cast and what that means for broadcasting games.  On the bonus episode available exclusively for Slate Plus members, the hosts share the underrated sports stories of 2024 as well as what everyone should be watching in 2025.  War for Christmas(2:45): Who gets claim to the day: the NFL or the NBA? Alex Ovechkin (21:33): Can he beat the hockey GOAT’s goals record? It suddenly looks like a matter of time, but the story isn’t breaking into mainstream coverage much. Alternative Broadcasts (38:37): Do we really want a Toy Story football overlay? (Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad-free.) Want more Hang Up and Listen? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page, or visit slate.com/hangupplus to get access wherever you listen. Disclosure in Podcast Description: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. As of 9/26/24, the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across the Bond Account is greater than 6%. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See https://public.com/disclosures/bond-account to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hosts Alex Kirshner, Ben Lindbergh, and Lindsay Gibbs talk about the death of a legend: Rickey Henderson. Then, they dig into the end of the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament and the sport’s growth. The panel also discusses the shenanigans taking place as Tampa Bay-area authorities consider building a new ballpark. Finally, Alex delivers an Afterball on the first round of the College Football Playoff and explains why most games suck, actually.  On the bonus episode available exclusively for Slate Plus members, the hosts talk about the latest in a string of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce inspired schlocky movies. Rickey Henderson (2:17): A baseball legend dies at 65. Volleyball (21:28): The NCAA tournament comes to a close. Tampa Bay ballpark schemes (39:12): Should the team get public bonds to pay for a new stadium? Afterballs (53:12): Alex on why everyone hates the College Football Playoff this year (Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad-free.) Want more Hang Up and Listen? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page, or visit slate.com/hangupplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices